Chapter 149: _ You’re Done For!
"GINNY!"
The voice is thunderous. The crowd parts like water as Lira storms through the doors, fury etched into every line of her face. Beside her, Daphne saunters out, eyes bulging as she takes in the scene.
"Oh, gods," Daphne cackles, eyes meeting Heidi’s. "I knew it! I knew you’d slip up eventually, Heidi, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. You, a mere Moon Blessed, dare to beat up high-class pack girls? This is priceless."
Those words are supposed to make Heidi more scared of her fate, but they only sound pathetic to her ears. They should be ashamed of getting their asses kicked by one newbie. Not when they are four and she’s just one girl.
Lira is already crouching, pulling Ginny close, tugging Maribel to her feet, murmuring sharp orders as though she’s a general rallying her wounded. Sierra is clutching the tatters of her crop top, while Ivy’s lip is split and bleeding.
And Heidi, standing alone, claws out, breathing like a cornered wolf.
Daphne takes a step closer, her smirk wide enough to split her face. "Now, Heidi. Now you’ll see what the school does to little Moon Blessed who thinks they can trample people higher than them. It seems I don’t have to get my hands dirty after all."
She doesn’t have to get her hands dirty? Heidi can’t place the meaning of that because she doesn’t have any memory of committing a crime that could possibly make Daphne hate her this much.
Well... except for refusing her order to sit away from Nash. Or—could it be Darien? Sleeping with her older brother, is that it? Heidi can’t help but wonder.
The crowd goes silent, waiting.
Heidi’s wolf snarls, pacing. "Fight. We can take them too. We can take anyone."
But Heidi feels the shift in her bones. The fight with Sierra and her crew was chaos, but this—this is danger. Real danger. Daphne isn’t laughing just for fun. She’s promising punishment. And Lira? She’s already tallying the score.
Everyone who knows the scores in this school knows that Lira controls everything female in the school, no matter how strong or connected you are... she’s the boss. The literal female version of the Alphas. And she’ll be damned before she takes the side of Heidi over the sisters of her brother’s friends.
It doesn’t help that Heidi doesn’t even know the girl’s opinion of her. Lira has managed to maintain an indifferent outlook when it comes to her. However, the other day when she made a remark about going to school after catching her sweet boyfriend, Amias watching her already gave Heidi an idea of what to expect from the school’s Queen.
Thus, she straightens, forcing her chin high as blood streaks her cheek.
If this is the end, she’ll meet it standing.
Thus, she doesn’t flinch when Daphne steps closer, her glossy lips curving into that smirk everyone in the school either wants to punch or kiss. The crowd shifts like one giant living organism, the gossip feeding frenzy in full swing. Phones are held aloft, their little screens glowing blue, catching every word and even the speck of dust in the air.
"They asked for it," she spits. Her eyes burn into Daphne’s arrogant grin. "They’ve been beating me up, cornering me, and attacking me first. You think I’m just going to curl up and take it?"
Daphne’s laughter rings high, fake as the acrylic nails she has on. "So, Heidi, you’re saying they asked for it, hmm? That’s your excuse?" Her eyes glint as she tilts her head. "They asked for it so you decided to go all rabid mutt on them?"
Heidi squares her shoulders. Her wolf is pacing inside her like a caged storm. "Tell her. Tell her she’s nothing. Tell her we don’t take orders from shiny dolls."
"They did more than ask for it. They pulled some rotten moves. Moreover, it was four against one."
Daphne blinks slowly, as if Heidi’s words are dust she’s brushing off her coat. "And that gives you the right to beat them up?" She arches a brow, her voice filled with sarcasm. "Sweetheart, this isn’t the wild forest. This is an institution. We have rules. Restrictions on such kinds of acts. Or didn’t they explain that in your orientation? Oh wait—you skipped that, didn’t you?"
Heidi’s wolf snarls in her skull, hot and furious: "Restrictions? What restriction protects them when they claw you first? None. Crush Daphne’s petty little mouth."
Tempting, but she’s already in enough trouble as it is, Heidi thinks.
"I have my reasons," she growls instead. Her claws are still half-bared, shaking with the urge to rake Daphne’s smirk clean off her face. "They don’t get to humiliate me and walk away."
Daphne tuts like a disappointed teacher. "Reasons," she repeats, amused. "What a lovely excuse. I’m sure the Council will find that touching."
The crowd titters, sensing blood, but this time not from Heidi’s claws, but from the verbal noose Daphne is tightening.
Before Heidi can snap back, Lira finally rises. She’s regal even with Sierra slumped against her side and Ginny clutching the remnants of her blouse. With care, Lira slips off her coat and drapes it over the two girls, shielding their half-exposed bodies. The gesture makes the crowd hush. It’s protective, commanding, and untouchable.
Then, without looking at Heidi, she turns to a boy standing near the back. Her voice comes out so cool and calm, Heidi feels truly like that rabid dog Daphne described: "Go fetch Master Corvin, will you? His attention is so much needed here."
The boy bolts immediately.
Something inside Heidi ices over. Shit. She’s going to antagonize me too.
Her wolf growls: "Of course she will. Queens protect their court. You are the outsider. Don’t show weakness. Don’t let them smell it."
So Heidi straightens, rolling her shoulders back despite the claw marks burning across her skin. She forces her chin higher, as though the bruises swelling across her face are badges instead of evidence.
Sierra’s bloodied lip finds her voice at last. "You’re done, Moon-trash. Done." Her words are a hiss, spat like venom.